Love Actually
by mydearelisa
Summary: In this story, Joey Richter from the Starkid group, gets involved with a fan. A girlish love story to make you sigh. Feedbacks makes me happy!
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

I'm translating my Joey Richter fanfiction to English and I simply couldn't wait for my beta readers to correct it, I _needed_ to share this with you girls.

So this is a girlish, mary sue and predictable love story about Joey and a fan. I wrote it just for fun and I hope it will make his fans sigh and dream about the day they will have the chance to catch Joey's heart.

Forgive me for my grammar mistakes. Remember it's not corrected yet and I'm not a native english speaker. If you find any mistake don't think twice, just contact me! I'll correct it as fast as I can.


	2. Dazzled

Curtains dropped as the loud clapping filled the small theater. Within minutes a mob of fangirls crowded the stuffy exit. The hope of meeting their idols — the Starkid actors — gleamed brightly in their eyes.

I was one of those fans. I struggled in the middle of that crowd of crazy girls, but I was so clumsy that I couldn't make my way and run quick enough to keep up with them. Maybe my age had its percentage of fault – I was a 25 years-old with no experience in being stuck in crowds, against 13, 14 or 15 years-old fangirls who looked like war soldiers. And believe me, on that age they have such a breath and force you don't have anymore when you turn 25. I was left behind and I could only make my way after the boldest fans had made theirs.

And there I was holding my camera, anxious to meet my idols. I just wanted a few pictures and a hug from my favorites Joe Walker and Joey Richter. Only then I would go back to the hotel absolutely happy.

A few more minutes of waiting and the first to show up was Brian, followed by Lauren, Dylan and Jamie. Joey came right after them along with Joe Walker. The girls went nuts, flashes beaming like fireflies. Those hysterical screams made my ears hurt. I tried to get closer, but I had no success, I kept being pushed and in some moment someone elbowed me on my belly.

It was only when the crowd began to disperse that I finally could get closer to them. I took pictures with Brian, Lauren and Dylan; soon I could approach Joe, who was almost as impossible to reach as Joey. I let a wide smile out when Joe's dazzling blue eyes looked into mine.

"Hey" I said, my face getting warmer "You mind taking one more picture?"

"Sure not! What's your name?"

"Isabella, but you can call me Bella. Can I ask you for a favor?" Joe nodded and I went on: "I saw some pictures of you raising fans on your arms… Can you do this for me? It'd be a picture to remember."

He laughed: "No problem, Bella! You seem to be very light, after all."

I broadened a pleased smile and turned around to look for some generous fan who could take that picture for me, but none seemed available. The few fans that remained were going away; others kept talking in an excited manner on their phones, but Joey jump in to save me.

"Are you in need of a photographer?" he stretched one of those adorable crooked smiles of his.

"Oh yes, thank you! I hope you don't mind."

Joey got my camera and laughed like a little boy when Joe raised me in his arms as easily as he would have raised the lightest feather. In that moment my fangirl side showed up and I began to giggle.

"Great!" I showed the picture to Joe and gave him the camera "Now it's your turn."

Joey passed his arms around my legs before I could ask him (I wasn't even going to request him to do it) and he did it as easily as Joe did. Maybe I was really light or they were really strong. The point was that his excitement to rise me was so strong that it made my face get as red.

Joey nestled me and touched his face on mine for the picture. He hesitated a bit before putting me down.

"Thanks" I was still in his arms and his face was nearer mine than I have planned for that moment.

"Romantic." Joe said, returning the camera to me.

I showed the photo to Joey. He was still so near me that I could feel the warmth of his body. His chin brushed my hair as he approached his face to see it.

"Professional, mate. You could have photographer as a second job."

"I have many talents, mate." He shrugged nonchalantly.

Joe put his hands inside his pockets and turned to talk to a 13 year-old fan who was calling for him. I turned off the camera and pushed it inside my backpack. I raised my face to look at Joey who was still by my side.

"That was very kind of you."

"My pleasure. Now give me a hug?" he opened his arms wide.

I hugged Joey feeling some strange happiness dance inside my stomach. Usually the fan should ask for a hug, not the idol. But anyway…

"The pleasure is all mine. Thanks again." I said.

I waved him goodbye and headed to the exit, but after two steps I heard him. "Hey, wait! Are you alone?"

"Yep."

"It's not safe for a girl to walk alone at night."

Joey approached me with a smile. I tried to ignore that.

"I know how to take care of myself. I'm not 15 anymore." I smirked.

"I know, but…" he looked around as if he was choosing his words "It's late and… Well, what's your name?"

I raised one eyebrow "Isabella."

"Well, Isabella—"

"Call me Bella."

"So, Bella… Can I take you home?"

I might have lost some seconds of my life in that moment when I stood still, staring blankly at Joey, wondering if my ears had just played a trick on me. Joey stared at me looking awkward, possibly regretting what he had just asked.

I cleaned my throat: "Ah… do you want to take me home?"

"Only if you want me to." He hurried to answer.

"But I'm in a hotel—"

What a silly little child I was! Did it make any difference if I was in a hotel? "Oh, sure you can." I smiled nervously.

Joey grinned widely.

"I'll be right back, don't move from here."

"Right…"

"No, seriously, don't go away. I'll be back in a minute!"

"All right, I'll wait."

He ran a bit clumsy to the dressing-room, tumbling and almost slipping. He crossed with Lauren on the way and hit her shoulder; she shot me a glance that said I was nothing but an annoying bug. But this she quickly concealed behind a helpful smile, and shrugged.

I waited about fifteen minutes. There weren't any fans left and Jamie was the only one still there.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yeah… eh… Joey." I flushed.

"Joey? Haven't you had the chance to talk to him?"

"I have, but it's that he asked me to wait for him."

Jamie raised her eyebrows. "Oh—"

I looked around, feeling awkward: "But it's taking him too long, maybe he had forgotten it. I— I guess I'll get going. Bye, Jamie"

I felt really silly for believing Joey would take me home. Maybe that was his conception of a funny joke. I turned on my heels and walked to the exit door, ready to go back to the hotel alone as originally planned.

_(to be continued)_


	3. Unexpected

"Where are you going? I'm back!" Joey shouted as he ran in my direction. He stopped in front of me and smiled once again. His hair was wet and flying in front of his face as he walked; he had changed his clothes to a white t-shirt and beige cotton pants. Also, smelled really good – it reminded me of musk and sandalwood.

"Where are you going?" Jamie couldn't help to ask.

"I'm taking her home. Eh… I'll be back soon."

Jamie's eyes slithered from Joey to me and back to Joey, she was clearly wondering what was going on. She smirked and shrugged.

"Have fun." she waved us goodbye and turned away. I could hear her giggling aloud.

"Shall we?" I suggested. Honestly, I was a bit tired to stand there alone.

And so we left the theatre and headed to the empty dark street. Joey was right when he said it wouldn't be safe for a girl to walk alone at night, and I was happy he was there by my side. I had no idea of what to say to him, so I chose to keep my mouth shut. It was really awkward to be side by side with Joey Richter and not know what to talk about. Maybe he felt the same because he remained as silent as me for what seemed long minutes. Useless to say he soon found what to talk about; he was known as a very talkative person.

We got into a conversation about where I was from, what I worked on and everything else he had the chance to ask me. Mainly, we talked about me.

"You came from Brazil, Rio! Wow, that's awesome. The closer I got to this city was when I went to see the movie Rio. How long are you going to stay?"

"Not much. I'll leave in one week."

"Too soon—"

"Yeah, I know. I've got to go back to work, and my vacations are about to end."

I barely noticed we were by the hotel's entrance. I'd kept talking to Joey all night if I could.

"Well, it's here. Thank you for your company, Joey."

I approached him, gave him a tight hug and, on the spur of the moment, I kissed him on the cheek, as it was a habit in Brazil to do so when saying goodbye. Joey looked at me intensely, a bit startled. I almost could see his blood vessels bringing an extra amount of blood to his face.

"So, eh… Can we have a date tomorrow?"

His face got even redder if it was possible. I felt like an idiot again as I stared blankly at him, my head empty. I blinked.

"Sure!" I answered with too much enthusiasm for someone who should be playing it cool.

Joey saved my number in his phone. He promised he would call me in the morning and we waved goodbye. When I got to my room I collapsed on the bed with a sigh; had the world just turned upside-down? A few hours earlier I had never been near a Starkid, and now I had just given my number to one of them.

Joey met me at the hotel hall right after the breakfast. He looked so charming in those simple clothes – a blue sleeveless shirt, beige shorts, a black hat and brown sandals – I felt something cold moving inside my stomach as I approached him.

"Hi, good morning." I smirked.

"Good morning, miss. You're looking great in this green dress." He smiled gently.

"Thanks." I answered wearing my sunglasses, kind of hiding my shyness behind them.

"Let's go, then."

He offered me his hand. I hesitated a bit before holding it, and when I did, I felt his hand was as cold as mine.

There weren't enough hours for everything we wanted to do together. We headed to the Central Park for a walk. There were so many things to talk about, I wanted to know everything about him, details fans never really get to know. So I was the one with unending questions this time.

We stopped for a break and sat on the grass. Joey got two bottles of water for us. I drank in silence.

"Where's your boyfriend, Bella? Doesn't he get jealous when you travel alone?" he suddenly asked.

"Oh… I don't have a boyfriend." I answered without looking at him.

"Really?"

"Yes."

I still didn't look at him, but I could swear I saw Joey let a smirk out.

We had lunch at a Brazilian food restaurant. Useless to say Joey loved it. I'm never modest when it comes to talk about our cuisine; it's actually very good.

"I think I'm overfull." Joey said as he cleaned his lips with a napkin.

I laughed. "Yeah, me too. We will need another walk to digest all this food."

"I regret nothing. It was delicious."

We left the restaurant and went to the Natural History Museum, I had never been there before. We spent the afternoon at the museum and when it was almost dark we agreed it would be a good idea to go to the movies.

Things were really less awkward between us by then. I had lost count of how many times our arms and hands had "accidentally" touched and how many times his chin had brushed my hair when he approached to say something near my ear, his soft voice and his warm, mint scented breath so close that it made my skin bristle…

By this time I was mentally begging that Joey would grab hold of me and kiss me at once. All that proximity was driving me mad. Somehow, I knew he felt the same.

I pushed my hand inside the popcorn bag, got a generous amount and filled my mouth with it. If I couldn't have Joey's mouth glued to mine, than I would keep it busy with as much popcorn as it could handle.

Chewing, I offered the popcorn to Joey, but he merely denied with a move of his head and an uncommon expression on his face. He limited himself to intensely stare at me in silence. I wished he would stop that.

"What?" I gave him a shy grin; my mouth was still full.

He didn't say a word. He simply touched my chin with his fingertips and shot a glance at my lips.

"Bella, I—"

The theatre lights died out. I could barely see Joey's face in the dim light. My heartbeats were faster than a hummingbird's, and I hold my breath as Joey approached his face to mine.

I couldn't breathe. His lips were so soft… He kissed me tenderly, as if I was a rare porcelain piece he was afraid to break. I wished he would put caution away, but he was a perfect gentleman – he didn't want to startle me. But, I had waited for that kiss the whole day. I was thirsty.

I grabbed Joey's face with both hands and pressed my lips tight to his, opening my mouth in a saucy kiss. He sighed against my skin and went all the way, passing his arms around me and filling his hands with my hair. We barely noticed the movie had begun.

"Wow…" he sighed.

I merely smiled and said nothing.

"I want another one of those." He chuckled quietly, kissing me again. Now his kiss was saucy as mine.

3


	4. Pleasure

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

**Warning: Sex scene.**

* * *

><p>Once we had begun to kiss it was hard to stop. Even with the movie on the screen. Even with the suspicious stares I felt on us. It was impossible to look at Joey's eyes - his face so close to mine, his eyelashes tickling my skin - and not to surrender the will of kissing him again.<p>

At last we left the theatre with the agreeable feeling that was the best movie we've ever watched, although we actually watched only a few minutes of it. And when Joey asked me if I was hungry I had to bit my lip and resist the impulse of answering that I was starving, but not exactly for food...

We both decided the best we could do was to come back to the hotel. The day had been amazing but also long, and now all we needed was to leave the mob behind and have some minutes only by ourselves.

"I'll take you to the hotel and then..." Joey hesitated a bit, "then I'll go back to mine."

"You don't need to hurry." I spit it out. My face got red, but he didn't see it because it was dark. "It's still early, I mean."

Joey nodded in silence and smiled to me. He passed his arm around my shoulders and so we walked through the agitated streets of New York. Withing minutes we reached the hotel. However, I didn't expect a manhole's lid would be loose enough to gulp my right foot when I stepped it. Joey grabbed my arm tight to avoid me reach the ground.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he grabbed my waist with his free hand.

The pain was so strong I couldn't even breathe. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I think I broke my foot."

Joey widened his eyes at my response.

"Oh no, you didn't! At worst you twisted it. I'll help you inside, come."

I tried to walk, but I could barely touch the ground without tears of pain watering my eyes. Joey didn't think twice before lifting me on his arms. "Well, it's not the first time I do it, is it?" he grinned.

I tried to smile, but I ended up grimacing. Hopefully he didn't see it.

In less than two minutes we were entering my room. Joey gently helped me sit on a armchair near the window and then went back to close the door. Then, he pushed my largest suitcase and placed it near to me so it could holdup my foot.

"The pain will ease if you put some ice on it." he said.

"There's ice in the refrigerator, I guess."

Joey opened the small refrigerator and got some ice cubs for me. He put them inside a small plastic bag and placed it on my foot.

"Thank you, Joey." I whispered as he sat on the ground by my side.

"No problem. It's a pleasure to have a reason to spend more time with you."

I felt some shy butterflies inside my stomach when he said that. I smirked and looked down in silence. Suddenly my swollen foot became way too interesting.

"So, uh, what do you wanna do now? Watch TV?"

I shook my head.

"Play cards?" he tried again.

"Nope."

"Do you want me to order something for you to eat?"

"I want you to kiss me again", I said in a low whisper.

I gave him a quick stare and noticed his almond-like eyes looking deeply at me. He chuckled; his crocked jaw even cuter than usual.

"Come here, baby-" he said in a husky voice as he approached his face to mine and grabbed the back of my neck; a suggestive grin playing on his lips.

An unexpected hunger made his mouth devour mine in an urgent kiss. Joey got on his knees so that he was at the same height as I was. His both hands grabbed my face as if I could go up in smoke any time now.

For the first moment I realized we were alone in my room. No one would ever interrupt us now. No one would ever see us.

Joey sighed against my skin and inclined his head to keep kissing me. My heartbeats were so fast I worried he would hear them. Breathless, I passed my arms around his neck and pushed myself to him.

His mouth was warm and wet; he slipped his lips to my ear and whispered in a way that made my skin bristle:

"How's your foot?"

"Terribly painful." I grinned.

He chuckled: "Do you think the pain would ease if I lied you on that bed?"

"Who knows-" I sighed "Give it a try."

Joey got me on his arms without a word and lied me gently on the king size bed. He took off his shoes before joining in, and I felt the warmth of his body as he slithered to me, his body fully touching mine. His face was above mine, his hair swagging in front of his face and tickling my nose.

"How about now, Bella?"

I held his shoulders and pulled him to me. "Way much better, Joey."

I kissed him with hunger, passing my legs around his waist. Joey gave gentle bites on my neck as our clothes slowly left our bodies.

As our bodies moved at the same rhythm making the bed groan, I wondered if it was a dream that I was making love with Joey Richter.


	5. Impasse

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

**Warning: Sex scene.**

* * *

><p>I glared at the ceiling still not believing in what had just happened. Joey Richter and I had just made love. And to make love with Joey was… oh, it was above and beyond amazing.<p>

He rested his head on my chest and my fingers played with his sweaty hair as we tried to catch our breath. I relaxed my legs and eased the grasp around his waist; he was still inside me. He leaned over his face to look at me, his checks red, his body so warm it felt like he had a fever, and he said nothing. Joey merely smiled and kissed me softly. I wanted to tell him I loved him, but that would sound too much like fangirling, or even creepy. I loved Joey, but I'd keep that secret to me.

He touched my forehead with his own: "Are you happy?" he sounded like a teenager boy.

"I've never felt this way before."

"And how do you feel?"

"Very good, very happy." I sighed and caressed his sweaty face. "And you?"

"I've never been so complete." his voice was sweet.

I couldn't resist kissing him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and made him turn on his back. Now he was the one lying on the bed and I was above him, sitting on his lap. Joey's arms surrounded me as he kissed me back.

"I'm still hungry, you know" he whispered against my lips.

He didn't need to say it; I could perfectly feel his hunger between my legs.

I moaned in response. Joey's hands grasped my hips and my tights, pulling my body closer to his. We did it again.

The sun had already risen when I blinked and opened my eyes. I looked to my left side and saw Joey sleeping on his tummy, his whole body naked. I beamed. He's had the option of leaving, but he chose to sleep with me and that made me feel the luckiest girl in the word.

I got up and collected my underwear from the floor. Then, I wore a long sleeveless shirt and braided my hair. It was just when I felt Joey move behind me and his hands involve my hips.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said in a gruff, sleepy voice.

"To get breakfast."

"Hmmm—" he yawned, "can't we order it and never leave this room, ever?" He got on his knees and hugged me from behind, "Did you sleep well?"

"I sure did. You?"

Joey couldn't help to sound like a teenager again: "It was an amazing night-" he brushed his face on my hair "I'm hoping you'll want to repeat it soon." he kissed my check.

He tried to kiss my mouth, but I didn't let him.

"What?" he objected, worried.

"I have morning breath."

He groaned impatiently. "I don't care."

I laughed and turned to him, and we both collapsed on the bed.

"For a moment I thought you didn't want me anymore."

"You silly boy." I bit his lower lip.

Apparently biting Joey's lip had the same effect as pressing the button "on". He kissed me in a fierce way, grabbing the back of my neck with one hand, and my hips with the other one. He gave my hair a soft pull as he licked all the way down my neck, stopping at my shoulders to give it small bites and hickeys. No doubt Joey was fully awake.

Soon my underwear was back to the floor.

We would actually never leave the room if it wasn't for our stomach crying for some food. We both took a quick shower — Joey suggested that we saved water and took the shower together, but this would delay our breakfast for at least one more hour — and went to a nearby Starbucks. My foot, by the way, didn't hurt anymore. Joey was right when he suggested that going to the king size bed would help to ease the pain.

I had four days left in New York and I spent them with Joey. We needed a lot of determination not to remain locked in my room the whole day, so we forced ourselves to go out and visit the touristic places I had in mind. We reserved the days to walk around the city and the nights to ourselves. Joey slept with me every night we had left.

At some point his phone rang — I remember we were having pizza for dinner when it happened — It was Joe Walker calling him. I could hear Joe's voice for I was side by side with Joey.

"Hey man." he answered the phone.

"I just wanted to know if you're still alive." Joe mocked him.

Joey laughed. "Yeah man, I'm ok."

"Now seriously, are you going back to Los Angeles?"

"I've got to, yeah. Why?"

"I thought you were moving to Brazil." Joe said nonchalantly.

Joey chuckled: "The news always gets spread quickly, doesn't it?"

"Jamie said she's been trying to talk to you, but you won't answer the phone since you went out with that fan; she's wondered if you had run away with the girl."

"I haven't. Not yet."

I heard Joe's laugh. "Not yet? I never heard you talk like that."

"You're hearing now." Joey shrugged.

"Seriously, man. What the fuck are you thinking to disappear without a word? We're all worried about you."

"There's nothing wrong in going out with a girl—"

"I know, that's not what I'm talking about, Joey." I noticed Joe's annoyance by his voice tone.

"What is it then?" Joey was also getting irritated.

"We're a team, buddy. Better, we're a family. Don't act as if you had just died in the arms of a fan."

"Don't talk about her like that. She's not just a fan anymore; she's the girl I'm going out with."

I realized it was time to take a walk and let Joey finish his call with some privacy. I mimed trying to tell him I'd go outside for a minute, but Joey shook his head and grabbed my hand, telling me to stay.

"She's the girl you're having sex with, that's all."

I widened my eyes and swallowed my last piece of pizza. I almost choke.

Joey tried to make his voice even. "If I am, how's this your problem?"

Joe stuttered something, but decided that arguing with Joey wouldn't bring them anywhere.

"All right, man. Take care. Call me the fuck back when you're home." His voice was rough.

"I'll call you the fuck back, don't worry." Joey's tone was as rough, "If I don't, you can positively realize I've run away with her." He rang off.

I couldn't believe in what I've just witnessed and I couldn't stare at him as well. Snorting furiously, Joey pushed his phone fiercely back to his pocket.


	6. Parting

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

* * *

><p>Eventually, I had to face the fact that Bella's last day in NY arrived. Her flight back to Brazil had been scheduled to 11pm of that rainy Friday. I insisted that we spent that specific day alone. "I don't want to miss a thing from you today" I told her, lying by her side on the bed. There were something melancholic in my voice tone.<p>

We said nothing about how it would work - or how it _wouldn't_ work - once she left the US. As we didn't want to go out in the rain, we watched movies, ordered something to eat in the room and I helped Bella to pack her belongings.

I still didn't talk to Joe after that awful conversation we had on the phone. I was pissed to know that all my best friends were commenting nasty things about me going out with a fan and I hadn't stop to think how I'd act when I met them again.

I pushed that thought back to the deepest corner of my mind and tried to keep me busy with Bella. She was my priority that day. A too short day. Because in the blink of an eye I was in the airport kissing her goodbye.

"Have a safe trip back home." I kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose and, finally, her lips. "I'm going to miss you so bad!" I sighed.

"I'm going to miss you too, Joey." she whispered and caressed my face. Something in her voice told me she was trying not to cry. She looked deep in my eyes, in silence.

"Call me when you're home, ok?" I asked her.

"I will."

"Promise?"

"I promise." she thought a bit and then opened her mouth to say something I never got to know what it would be, because a woman's voice spoke right above us in a bored tone "Last call to flight AA836; destiny, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gate 9."

"I must go, Joey." she broadened an unconvincing smile. "I'll call you as soon as I can."

"As soon as you get home." I corrected her.

She got on the tip of her feet and pressed her lips against mine in the sweetest kiss I've ever experienced. Bella turned her back to me and walked in a quick pace towards the gate 9. I rubbed my nose as she disappeared into the restricted area's entrance. I was totally aware of the burning in my throat and eyes.


	7. Stalked

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

* * *

><p>I was back to Los Angeles the day after. It was exactly 9 am when I got home and left my luggage in my room, which was in the second floor of my house. I couldn't help myself to check my phone every five minutes, but Bella hasn't called me yet.<p>

I was going down the stairs, calculating the hour difference between Rio and LA, and concluded it was already 2 pm there. She should have called me already. Why hasn't she?

A sudden thud followed by a tight hug interrupted my thoughts, and I struggled to see something among the red hair that covered my eyes.

"Joey!" I heard a familiar female voice.

"Marissa, what a great surprise!"

Marissa was my cousin. She was almost as tall as I was, although she was only 16 years-old. She was a genuine ginger with natural red hair and freckles on her face and shoulders. She looked at me with a wide smile on her lips. She was always so eager and pleased to see me that I've once wondered if she had a crush on me.

"When did you get here?" I asked her.

"Last night" she said, "I wondered why you weren't home and your mom said you remained in New York for some reason she wasn't aware of."

I knew how Marissa's mind worked; she was trying to find out why I didn't come back with the others. Maybe she already had a guess because she probably had talked to Joe or Jamie on the phone, but she wanted to hear me spit it out. I wasn't going to tell her though. I wasn't going to tell anybody. Not yet.

"Is she Jew?" she suddenly demanded.

"What? Who are you talking about?" I laughed.

I had to act now. No problem, I was a good actor.

She followed me as I headed to the kitchen, "You were with a girl, weren't you?"

"No I wasn't." I kept the mocking tone in my voice. "Where did you get that guess from?"

"I'm a clever ginger."

"You sure are! But now your guess is wrong."

I met my mother in the kitchen, finishing her breakfast. She looked at us and her eyes quickly assessed that touchy situation. She immediately jumped in to save me. God bless this woman!

"Joey! I missed you, son." she opened her arms to hug me.

"I missed you too, mom."

"Did you buy me that moisturizing balm I told you about? Don't tell me you left New York without it!"

Moisturizing balm? She hadn't mentioned that to me. I knew what she was up to though.

"Sure, mom! It's in my bag. What a rare thing you asked me to buy, no wonder it took me some extra days to find it." I could feel Marissa's eyes on my back when I went on: "Come with me, mom. I'll give you your balm and show you the pictures we took."

"Great!" she turned to Marissa before leaving the kitchen, "I'll be right back. Can you do those dishes for me, sweetheart?"

She opened her mouth to protest, but she considered it for a moment and said: "Sure, auntie."

When we were out of Marissa's sight, I passed my arm around my mother's shoulders and whispered to her: "Thank you, mom!"

She smirked.

I kept checking my phone every five minutes, but phones are nasty things that decide to ring when you're stuck in a situation that makes it impossible for you to answer the calls. Mine rang when I was taking a shower, and I had to fight the impulse of running out of the bathroom to answer it. I almost slipped and fell in that short second when your brain doesn't know what action to take - if it should keep where you are or send you wet and naked across the house as a lunatic.

I smiled when I saw Bella's name on my phone screen and called her back.

"Hi baby." she answered.

"Hey baby." I sighed. I never sigh when I talk to a girl on the phone; what was happening to me? "How are you?"

"I'm tired, but I'm fine. And you?"

"I have a black whole in my heart because you're not here with me."

I never thought I'd say that to a girl someday, because as everybody knows, you never tell a girl you like her; it makes you look like an idiot. But I felt good when I said it, so I regret nothing.

She sounded awkward when she laughed at my cheesy line.

"Are you home?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm already in LA. And you?"

"Yes, I'm home too."

"What time did you get there?"

"Around 10 am."

"And why didn't you call me earlier?"

"Because I knew it'd be too early. We have five hours between us now, remember?"

Well, that argument was valid.

"So, when am I seeing you again?" I whispered as if I was by her side.

"It's simple; board an airplane and face a nine hours flight."

We both laughed.

"Don't challenge me, girl!"

"Oh, I do challenge you, sir!"

"Well, prepare yourself for a surprise then."

She remained silent for a moment.

"Are you serious?"

I chuckled, "Yeah, I am."

I was so lost in happiness talking to Bella that I didn't notice someone with red hair spying through the door's tiny opening.


	8. Decision

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

* * *

><p>"Joey, I gotta go. International calls are expensive."<p>

"Yeah, I know. But we can use Skype."

"Sure."

"So let yours online. I'll skype you before going to bed."

"What time do you usually go to bed?"

"Around midnight."

"Wow, do you really plan to skype me when it's 5 am in Brazil?"

We laughed.

"Ok, you skype me then." I said.

We said goodbye to each other and hung off. When I turned myself to the door, I saw Marissa's hair quickly disappear as she hid herself.

I went to the door and let it wide open.

"Are you stalking me, little girl?"

"No, I was just passing by when I heard you-"

"What are you hiding from then?"

Marissa opened her mouth to close it shut in silence the second after. She stuttered after taking a deep breath.

"OK, I was spying."

I examined her through narrow eyes, in silence, waiting for her to go on. She knew I hated to be stalked, so she'd better have a nice reason to spy me.

"I wanted to know if you were talking to that girl. You were going out with a girl in New York, weren't you? She's a fan."

"Who told you that?"

"Jamie let it out when we talked on the phone."

"Marissa, this is nothing of your business."

"I know, but-" I could feel she struggling not to confess she was actually very jealous. "You know that if she's not Jew, grandma won't approve it."

My eyes wandered around as I tried to pick the right words. I was pissed, but I didn't want to hurt her. She was part of my family after all.

"Let me explain something to you." I paused to be sure she was paying attention, "If I decide to be in a relationship, engaged or married, it won't make any difference if her beliefs aren't the same as mine or my family's. I'm grown up and I know how to deal with these things. Did you understand?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah-"

"You don't worry about it then, right?"

"Right" she muttered.

"Say it louder, please." I gently demanded.

"Right!" she almost yelled.

"Good." I grinned. "Thank you."

Marissa gave me a cold shoulder and then turned her back to me. I sighed, but I wasn't entirely relieved or convinced; something told me she'd still try to mess something up.

Two months passed in a flash. Bella and I managed to skype everyday despite of the five hours difference between us. We even bought credits, so that we were able to make phone calls through Skype when one of us couldn't be online. I enjoyed to call her when I knew it was midday in Rio and she was taking a break from work to have lunch - and it didn't bother me that it meant that I'd have to wake up earlier and get online at 7 am.

I missed her badly. A ripping sensation ravaged my chest every night when I lied on my bed without the warmth of her body to cuddle with mine. In one of those nights, I decided I'd go to Rio as soon as possible, to see her. I bought my ticket to Brazil the day after I've made that decision.

In two weeks I was boarding a plane and heading to Rio de Janeiro. My phone beeped five minutes before we received the instructions to turn off our electronic devices. It was a text from Bella: "Call me when the plane has landed. I want to meet you in the airport. OMG, I can't wait to be with you again!"

I let a smile out and turned the phone off. When I pushed it inside my backpack, the tip of my fingers touched a small velvety box that kept a very special gift I planned to give her.


	9. Proposal

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

* * *

><p>The cold sensation inside my stomach remembered me that, in a couple of minutes, I'd be hugging Joey again. I parked precariously and didn't have the patience to wait for the elevator, so I climbed the stairs to the first floor of the airport. I walked in a quick pace to the exit destined to people arriving from other countries.<p>

I sat on a chair, but got up immediately hereupon. I couldn't keep myself quiet for sixty seconds in a row, so I kept walking from one side to another, squeezing my fingers until they hurt. I checked the panel showing the flights status and my heartbeat fastened when I saw that the plane bringing Joey had already landed.

My phone vibrated and I jumped with surprise. My hands were shaking when I held it to my ear.

"Joey!" I breathed.

"I'm here, honey." he said in a soft voice. I noticed he was smiling.

"Hurry!"

"I still have to wait for my luggage to appear on this carousel. And then I got to go through the immigration section. Do you want something from the free shop?

"No, thanks. I want you, that's all."

"In a minute." he chuckled.

We hung up and I remained on my feet, beholding those who arrived. Airports had always touched me; I liked to witness the happiness of a meeting, as well as the tears of a farewell. From where I stood, I witnessed the delight of meetings and second meetings. People hugged and kissed, some of the luckiest also had their dogs waiting for them, wagging their tails in frenetic joy. I smiled to myself.

Suddenly, there he was.

He came behind a line of people, and was staring at me with an enormous crooked smile on his face. I had almost forgotten how elegant Joey was when he wore that black V shirt that valorized his chest and shoulders. His hair had grown and reached his neck. Did Joey really look like a prince, or were my eyes playing tricks on me?

He struggled to cross the mob and ran to me. I immediately wrapped my arms around his neck, and Joey grabbed my waist so tight that he took my feet off the ground. I hid my face on the side of his neck beneath his ear and smelled that natural perfume, a personal aroma that made my heart beats faster.

"Finally!" he breathed, his face hidden in my hair.

"Yes! I can barely believe it's you!"

"It's me. I'm here." he whispered as he caressed my face and stared deeply in my eyes. "I'll always be with you."

Joey held my face gently, and kissed me in a manner as if he was savoring my love directly from my lips. Oh God, I was so in love...

I felt a tickling in my ankle and looked down by reflex. A friendly shitsu puppy left its owner to greet us. Joey laughed and stared at me.

"Let's go?"

"Yep."

We held hands and headed to the parking lot; Joey kept talking about the trip and how excited he was when the plane began to land.

"And then, when I felt that funny thing inside my stomach, I didn't know if was the effect of the plane losing height, or if it was expectation! I'm sure it was both." he sounded like a boy telling a friend about a new video game.

"I could barely eat, and I'm sure it was expectation." I said. "I can't eat when I'm anxious about something."

"Me neither. But I tried to push some food to my stomach or you wouldn't have even approached me today."

"Why not?"

"I'd have a really bad breath."

I was laughing really hard when we reached my car. Joey had the talent to make any ordinary thing sound funny.

We had arranged Joey to stay in my apartment, which would be great for us both - No money wasted in hotels, besides we could be together the whole day - so I drove us to my place in Copacabana.

"It's a pity we can't view the beach from here, but it's pretty close. I walk only three blocks when I want to go to the beach.

"Three blocks?" he sounded alarmed.

"In Rio, it's not much. We can go there later."

"Sure-" he said vaguely as he approached me and hugged me from behind. His face touched my hair and he inhaled the smell of my shampoo. The warmth of his body so near to mine it gave me goose bumps. It has been three months already since we...

I sighed. Joey chuckled and kissed my neck. I turned my face to meet his lips kissing the corner of my mouth.

Joey grabbed my waist tight and turned me to face him. His lips were pleasantly warm and moist. His embrace was stiff. His hands were full with my hair.

"I've missed you so much-" he breathed against my lips.

My lungs didn't have enough air to allow me answer in words, so I nodded in silence, kissing him again and pushing him to my room. Joey accepted my silent invitation willingly.

Joey's hand was playing with my hair as I cuddled with him on my bed. The day had been too short. I wondered if all those days we'd spend together would be as short; I sighed - yes, they would probably be.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked gently.

It took me a moment to answer. I didn't want to sound weak or needy, so I gave him a false response. "I'm thinking that maybe we could take that walk on the beach now."

Joey approved the idea immediately and in twelve minutes we were leaving. We walked by the wet margin of the beach, with the sea softly caressing our feet. The temperature of the air and water were so flawless that we lost count of time.

"I guess if we walk a little more, we're going to reach Ipanema." I said. "Let's stop a bit and sit?"

I sat in front of Joey and fit my body between his legs. As he nestled me in his chest, I could feel his heartbeat against my back; a very comforting sensation.

We watched the sunset in almost complete silence. Joey caressed my arms with the tip of his fingers.

"There's something I want to ask you." he murmured.

"What is it?"

"You love me. Real or not real?"

I giggled. That Hunger Games reference fit perfectly for our moment. We could even pretend we were in District 4, for instance.

"Real." I mumbled, blushing furiously.

Joey broadened a wide smile and kissed my cheek.

"I love you too, baby." he gently stroked my arms and kissed my cheek again.

A warm and cozy feeling took over my body. I felt complete. I couldn't have foreseen what was coming next though.

"So you love me and I love you." Joey said "In account of this, I believe we have enough reasons to... hmm... _get married_."

I turned and stared at him, absolutely startled.

"What?" I mumbled, totally aware I looked dumb with my eyes so wide open.

Joey touched my chin and looked deep in my eyes. When the words came out of his mouth, he was staid.

"Do you want to marry me, Bella?"


	10. Troubled

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

* * *

><p>I let a nervous grin out, and couldn't take my eyes away from Joey. My brain worked furiously to decide if he was serious or joking. Obviously, he was joking.<p>

"You funny, funny boy." I shook my head at him.

He ignored my dumb reaction and remained staid. "I'm serious, Bella."

I opened my mouth, but closed it hereupon. He took advantage of my silence and astonishment to go on:

"Do you want to live with me, to spend your days in my companion, to sleep every night by my side? In other words-" his stare got even more intense and I struggled not to avert his eyes "do you want to be my wife?"

I wanted to tell him I didn't know if I wanted to be married. Better, I didn't know if I was _ready_ to be married. I wanted to request for some time to think about it, because getting married with Joey, specifically, meant my whole life would change. I'd have to leave my country, to find a new job, to part from my family and friends. Also, I'd have to deal with the fact he was somehow famous, and I didn't know how I'd react if I witnessed him being besieged by his fans. I was jealous and huffy. It was Joey's luck he hasn't seen me in this kind of mood yet.

All those thoughts invaded my mind in the half of a second, but the feeling inside my heart couldn't let me give him any different answer.

"I do." I mumbled.

He smiled widely.

"Really? Say it again."

"I do. I do want to marry you." my voice was stiffer now, but I couldn't help to think _"oh my, what am I doing?"_

Joey pushed his hand inside his pocket and took a small velvety dark blue box out of it. He opened the box and revealed a plain, but extremely beautiful ring. It was burnished silver, with a single tiny heart shaped sapphire on its center.

"I know you don't like huge jewelry, so I tried to pick the plainest engagement ring I could." he said as he took my right hand and placed that silvery piece on my ring finger.

"It's beautiful." I stared at it, beholding the shine of the tiny gem. "I just... love it."

He stroked my face and placed my hair behind my ear. When he approached his face to mine, I stared at his lips until they touched mine. Then, I closed my eyes and savored the mint taste in his mouth.

I didn't notice the sun had set, and was surprised to see it was mainly dark when I opened my eyes. Joey touched my forehead with his.

"Now, I can take you with me when I come back home, can't I?"

"Silly." I wrapped my arms around him.

"Let's have dinner to celebrate our engagement?" he suggested.

I kneeled on the sand, my arms still around his neck. "Sure. Where do you want to go?"

He wrapped his arms around my waist and raised his face to me. "I don't know, you're the tourist guide here. What restaurant can you suggest?"

He pulled me so strongly that I collapsed on his lap, throwing sand around.

"Hmmm... there's this Italian food restaurant called La Mole. The food is pretty good and it's not so expensive."

"Good, so that's where we're going tonight."

We went back to my place and got ready for dinner. We left in about one hour - I hurried because I was specially starving after the marriage proposal.

Once we reached the restaurant and chose a table, I asked Joey to give me some minutes.

"Do you mind to wait alone a little bit? I'm going to the restroom."

"No problem."

I entered the restroom to check my makeup and my hair. Have I heard someone screaming outside or was it just my imagination? I sharpened my hearing and wondered if I was _really_ hearing a female voice talking in English in a very fangirly tone.

Hurrying to wash my hands, I begun to huff; I couldn't believe in what was probably happening outside.

When I left the restroom and went back to our table, I saw it. A girl around her twenties was standing beside Joey. She looked really pretty with her long shiny blond hair, green eyes and perfect slim body. My eyes took an x-ray of her within seconds: sleeveless shirt, pink heels and small jeans shorts. _Heels and_ _small shorts._ Ugh!

Looking very self-confident, she stared intensely at him while he autographed a piece of paper. It seemed she was about to lunge against him in any moment.

A burning sensation made the hair in the back of my neck bristle. I approached two steps, silently. The girl didn't seem to notice me, which was good. Joey returned her the paper and she asked to take a picture with him. He was too friendly to refuse. As soon as he got up, the girl passed an arm around his shoulders and took the picture herself.

I wanted to rip her head off when I she kind of forced Joey and her to be cheek-to-cheek in front of the camera. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath to calm down my rage. My troubles had begun sooner than I could have foreseen.

Eventually, she had to go - a woman who seemed to be her mother called her and she left the restaurant - I sat back on my chair in front of Joey. The remainder of Joey's smile slowly faded away when I gave him a furious stare and placed my bag over the table with a loud thud.


	11. Binded

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes.**

* * *

><p>"Are you OK?" he asked.<p>

"I'm fine." I answered a bit too furiously for someone who should be fine.

His forehead wrinkled. "You're angry." he pointed out.

He acted so nonchalantly when he got to that conclusion, that it annoyed me even more. Incapable as I was to hold my tongue, I ended up spitting the question out. "Who's that girl?"

Joey raised his eyebrows.

"She's a fan."

"Is that so? I didn't know you were so famous that you could be recognized inside a restaurant in Brazil." My voice had raised an eighth, but I tried to keep it low and even. I failed.

"That fan is from the US." he explained. "She's here with her parents, on vacations."

"Wow! How did you find so much out about her in so little time?" I said with sarcasm.

Joey stared at me and chuckled. He leaned over the table in my direction.

"I didn't know you were so jealous. This is kind of sexy." he murmured mockingly.

He was teasing me now.

"I'm not jealous." I snapped.

"C'mon, who are you trying to fool?" Joey rolled his eyes. " I can read you like an open book."

I crossed my arms, huffed and looked away. I hated to admit my weaknesses, and Joey would have to work harder to force me to admit that jealousy was my biggest weakness.

"She was trying to use her charms to catch your attention." I insisted. "Wearing small shorts and heels, looking like a-" I tried to mind my words, but I couldn't stop myself. "-like a _bitch_. And you seemed to be enjoying it, weren't you? Plenty of smiles and hugs to give her, and cheek-to-cheek pictures to take and stuff."

Joey shook his head, laughing. He outreached me his hand over the table.

"My baby..." she sighed "I proposed you a few hours ago. Did you forget it or don't you take it into account?"

I looked at him, still sulky. Joey's puppy hazel eyes, however, are irresistible. It's impossible to stare at them and not melt inside. My heart melted like hot butter and I grabbed his hand with mine. He pulled it to his lips and kissed my engaged ring. A gesture of loyalty.

We ordered our dinner and had a good time together, eating delicious Italian food and drinking wine. I limited myself to one glass only, because wine always gave me headache, and I didn't want to be sick near Joey. Soon, my single glass of wine made me begin to sweat as if I was inside an oven.

I drove us to Leblon after dinner, and we went to the Overlook, a place with a magnificent view of the Leblon beach and many streets ahead. It was as beautiful by the night as it was during the day. Tonight, the sea seemed to have silver sparkles reflecting the light of the full moon on the sky above us.

Joey leaned on the wooden balustrade and pulled me by my hands. I leaned against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me as I closed my eyes for a second, paying attention to his heartbeat.

He sighed. "This place is flawless, and being here with you is so peaceful. I don't want to go back without you."

"We're getting married." I reminded him.

"Yes." I looked up and saw he had broadened a crooked smile at that thought. "Until then, I'll have to go back, though, and get everything ready for our marriage. My family included."

"Marriages are always big news for the bride's and groom's families."

"Yeah-" he smirked awkwardly. "Grandma better be ready for a big surprise."

"Why?"

"She's a bit like you, jealous of her 'boys'." he chuckled at my expression. "Her biggest problem isn't jealousy, though. It's the fiancée's religion."

"Oh!" I had never stopped to think about the _religion _detail. "What her demands for a nice fiancée are?"

"She's got to be Jew."

Joey smirked in a comic way. I stuttered. "Hmm, I'm not Jew."

"It's not going to be a problem _at all_. Not for me."

"Are you Jew? I've never wondered about it-"

"No, I'm not. I'm Christian. But grandma is, and she thinks the whole family should be composed of Jews."

I was silent for a moment, my eyes fixed on the dark horizon, wondering about what Joey had just told me.

He gave a gentle poke on my nose. "Hey, don't worry about that all right?"

"I wouldn't mind to become Jew, if that's important for your family-"

"Oh, c'mooooon!" He rolled his eyes "I told you it's not a problem _at all_."

"But your fami-"

"My family is OK with it." He interrupted me. "It's just my grandma and-" Joey let his mind wander for a second. "and my cousin too. But she's 16 years-old and she likes to repeat everything grandma says; there's nothing she can do to influence my decisions or my parent's values."

I shrugged. "Well, if you say so."

He hugged me tight and touched my ear with his lips. "It's love what really matters; and I love you."

"I love you too, little nerd."

We both chuckled.

"That's what matters." He touched my cheek with his. "We love each other."


	12. Welcomed

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes**

It took Bella two months to be ready to leave her beloved Brazil and move to Los Angeles.

When I first met her at the airport after those 60 days, I thought Bella was even prettier than I'd remembered. Her hair was longer and smoother, and her skin had a tempting sun kissed tone. We walked to each other's direction in quick pace, and when I approached her, I noticed she'd been crying. I couldn't think her less pretty, though. Her red watering eyes and her red nose's tip made her look even cuter, and all I wanted to do was to hug her and take care of her.

Soon we were in each other's arms. I hugged her tightly and caressed her hair. I heard Bella sniff against my chest.

"How was the trip?"

"Good." She rubbed her eyes in attempt to hide the recent tears.

I studied her face. "What's wrong?" I asked as though I knew what was wrong.

She shook her head. "Nothing wrong."

But her voice trembled in the end of the word "wrong" and she couldn't stop the tears rolling down her face. I hugged her again, tightening my arms around her.

"I know, baby. I know."

She started to sob. "I'm going to miss my family so much!" her voice was muffed. "My mom, my dad—"

"I know—"

"I'm so sorry for this, Joey!"

"You don't need to apologize. I know how you're feeling." I tried to comfort her. "I know it's not easy. You made a decision for a big change in your life and I admire you and respect you for that." She moaned at my words and I went on, "You're one of a kind, Bella. You're my wonder woman."

She looked up at me with those wet eyes that made my heart bleed. "Thanks" she whispered and smiled shyly.

I helped her with her luggage, which filled one trolley with huge five bags. I pushed it ahead, while she pulled one small suitcase with wheels. I tried to cheer her up and help her to wonder about other matters.

"Are you ready to choose your gown? Mom said she discovered an amazing place where you can buy or rent a dress. They're eager to join you in a wedding dress trial day."

"I sure am! But you know you _can't go _with us, don't you?"

"I know, but I kind of would like to go."

"Oh, no you _can't_! You _can't_ see the bride's gown until the wedding day! It gives _bad luck_!"

"That's what they say, but I don't believe it. I was extremely lucky to find you, and I don't think that seeing your bride gown could ever change that."

She stopped walking and stared at me. "You're an adorable one, did you know?"

I approached her. "No, I didn't. All I know is that you haven't kissed me yet."

Bella wrapped her arms around my neck. "Sorry, I wasn't sure if you'd like a kiss with so much mucus."

I grabbed her tight by her waist and took her feet off the ground as she kissed me, pressing her lips against mine in an urgent manner. I devoured her mouth, begging her love, her smell and her taste.

"I love you, my wonder woman."

"I love you too, my superman."

"_And_ we're getting married!" I remembered her.

"We're going to be a badass couple of super heroes, aren't we?"

"We sure will!"

After sharing some longer kisses and whispering words of love by her ear, Bella looked fresher and brighter than a sunny morning that follows a rainy night. Our drive to her temporary home – my home – felt much better with the sound of her laughter at my jokes.

It was Bella's first met with my family, and mom made sure to greet her and give her as much love as if Bella was her daughter.

"The pictures definitively don't do justice to you, dear! You're so much prettier in person! Come in, let Joey take your luggage upstairs."

"Thank you, Ms. Richter. I'm sorry to trouble you with my temporary stay. I told Joey I could perfectly afford to stay in lodging—"

"Absolutely not! This is out of question. You're Joey's fiancée; soon you'll be part of our family. If there's one place you should stay, this place is our house."

As Bella seemed very awkward around her new "family", mom asked if she didn't want to become familiar with the house; and while they made a tour around, dad shown up to help me with the suitcases.

"You'll have a room for your own particular use while you're here." I heard mom tell her when they reached the second floor's hallway. "Not that we wouldn't allow you to sleep in Joey's room. It's just that his bed isn't king size."

"No problem, mam."

They entered the guests room – the one where Bella would sleep – and I turned around to meet them.

"There you go, love; your stuff is here." I told her. "Do you want me to help you put your clothes inside the closet?" I asked in the purest tone I could.

Bella gave me a suspicious look. "Sure, baby." She let a quick smirk out.

"I'll leave you two alone now." Mom stared at me, "Let the girl rest, Joseph. A twelve hours flight often let people exhausted, you know."

"Of course I'll let her rest, mom. I was just—"

"Oh, Joseph." She sighed, "No one knows you better than I do." She shook her head and gave me a final mother-like look, before turning around and walking away.

Bella entered the room and I followed her, closing the door behind me.

"I don't know what she meant by—"

Bella laughed. "Oh, I know exactly what she meant."

She raised one eyebrow and stood still, looking at me.

"Okay" I smiled "I know it."

I locked the door and approached her; and while I held her waist, I stretched my arm to reach the curtain. I pulled it shut.

I touched Bella's forehead with mine and whispered, seductive: "What now?"

Her lips gently touched mine when she replied: "I need to take a shower."

"Oh, God!" I rolled my eyes and Bella begun to laugh.

We went out to have dinner together – mom, dad, my brother, Bella and I – so she could feel more welcome and already part of the family. The next day would be reserved to the wedding dress trial, when she would meet my cousin Marissa and my grandmother.

"Who else is going to be there tomorrow?" she asked when we were going back home.

"Besides mom, grandma and Marissa, no one."

Bella bit her lower lip.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." I passed an arm around her shoulders, as we entered the house and climbed up the stairs. "Are you going to sleep now?"

"Uh… yeah." She took a look around; dad was five steps behind us "I guess I am. Very tired." Bella winked to me.

"Good night, then." I winked back and kissed her. "_See you in thirty minutes._" I whispered.

Claiming she was really exhausted, Bella wished good night to everybody and closed her room's door behind her. Forty minutes later the house was immersed in darkness and silence. I waited ten more minutes inside my room, so I could be sure no one would hear me sneak into Bella's.

I left my room in complete silence and tiptoed to Bella's room in the end of the hallway. She opened the door as soon as I knocked, and pulled me in by grabbing my shirt's collar. She locked the door and turned to me with a bright smile.

"Finally" I said, holding and laying her on the twin bed, "We'll ease two months of hunger."

"I'm all yours now, superman." She murmured as she took off my shirt.


	13. Awake

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes**

**BEWARE! This chapter contains explicit sex scenes!**

* * *

><p>It was sunny when I blinked and opened my eyes. It took me a moment to become aware of where I was. The ceiling above me was different from that I was used to see when I woke up in my bed, in <em>my<em> room. My furniture was different from those too, and my window was placed on the wall in front of me, instead of behind.

Oh, but I wasn't in _my_ room.

I turned to my left side and saw Joey, shirtless, in black boxers, and fully asleep. He was nested in a small space between me and the wall.

Not wanting to wake him up, I tiptoed to my temporary bathroom, – which was inside my temporary room – brushed my teeth and took a shower. I looked around and hissed when I noticed I'd forgotten to bring clean clothes with me to the bathroom, so I wrapped the towel around me and opened the door. When I came back, Joey was yet on my bed and already awake.

He smiled when he saw me. "Good morning, miss."

"Good morning, sir."

He stretched his arms to me and I kneeled beside him on the bed, grabbing the towel so it wouldn't slip off. Joey hugged me and hid his face on my waist. He kissed my skin a million times, making me giggle. It tickled.

"You smell good." He said, and looked up at me "Will every morning be like this? Like, I wake up and the first thing I see is you wrapped in a towel, hair wet?"

"Maybe-"

Joey was about to kiss me, but he hesitated for a moment. "Hold on a second."

He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. Then he came back, and lied with me on the bed.

"This bed is too small for two." I pointed out.

"It was enough for us last night." He touched my lips with his, teasing me. "Wasn't it?"

Joey kissed me softly, as if tasting a rare candy. He held me and lied above me; his hair tickled my face when he kissed me again and worked his way down to my neck.

"What do you want, you naughty boy?" I giggled.

His lips touched my ears and my skin bristled when I felt his warm breath "Isn't it easy to guess?"

He chuckled and licked my earlobe. My skin bristled again.

"Jeez, it's 7 am, Joey!" I tried to make my laugh low.

"Hmmm"

He went down a little more and kissed my collar bone, as his expert hands unfurled the towel. I was naked before I could barely breathe.

"Joey… we're-" I sighed; Joey was kissing my neck again and his hands were wandering along my _whole_ body. "We're going to- _Oh!_" I sighed again; he'd just touched the most sensible part of my body.

"We're going to what?" he whispered as he kept touching me _there_.

"We're going to wake up the whole house." I breathed.

"No, we're not." He kissed me full in the mouth.

I surrendered to Joey's attempts to make love by the early morning and gave up trying to convince him of the opposite. Seriously, have I even tried?

Joey grabbed my hips and we switched positions.I was above him now, sitting on his lap. I could feel his lust under the fine boxer's fabric. I leaned over him to kiss him.

"You're so hard, Joseph…" I murmured against his lips. He let out a lewd smile and grabbed the back of my neck tight, forcing me to kiss him. He opened his mouth as if he was about to devour mine; his tongue explored my mouth in a naughty manner.

To feel Joey so hard made me want to tease him. I began to slink on his lap. Joey rolled his eyes with pleasure and grabbed my hips even tighter.

"Oh, Bella. Don't. tease. me."

He tried to take off his boxers, but I stopped him. "Not yet, baby."

He grinned. "What goes around, comes around."

"Are you that vengeful?"

"You have no idea."

I kept slinking on his lap, back and forward, feeling him get even harder if that was possible. Joey's hands were squeezing me so much that my skin had red and purple bruises here and there.

Joey growled "Enough, girl!"

He tightened one arm around my waist as his free hand released him from his last piece of clothes. We switched positions again.

"Now," he helped my arms over my head so I had no control "You're mine."

"What if I don't let you in?" I teased him again.

"Oh, you will let me in."

Joey began my torture by kissing my collar bone, my breast, my belly, my hips. When he reached my groin, I realized what he was about to do. Something we've never tried before.

I moaned, trying to catch my breath. My back arched and my eyes rolled when I felt his tongue, so warm and so wet, touching the most intimate part of my body. I twisted my toes, and my fingers grabbed Joey's hair. Where had the oxygen go? I couldn't breathe.

He remained licking me for a while. The feeling was so good that it was actually torturing, and soon I was begging him to enter me. He chuckled and clasped our hands above my head again.

"Now, mam?"

"Yes, please!" I breathed.

Joey lied down and slowly entered me, although not fully. He kissed me, his tongue once more giving me a naughty message.

I wanted to feel his hardness inside me. I wanted it to fill me.

"C'mon!"

He grinned. "Is it good to be teased?"

I tried to move my arms, but he tightened his grasp. I moaned. I was stuck. All I could do was to wrap my legs around this waist, and so I did. He had great control of himself though, and laughed at my foolish attempts.

"Who wasn't going to let me in?" he asked in a husky voice.

I bit my lower lip.

"Tell me." He demanded.

"I did."

"And now, what do you want me to do?" an evil grin played on his lips.

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out of it.

"Tell me all the words." He murmured as he went out of me.

"I want you to enter me." I whispered. "Now."

And so he entered me completely. My back arched again with pleasure. He began to lunge, his body chafing against mine. He wasn't gentle as he thrust me; neither had I wanted him to be. He was fierce. We were burning. Fire everywhere.

"Is this the best you can do?" I'd never stop teasing him.

He didn't say a word, but he did growl and grasped my hair, pulling my head so he could bite and lick my neck. The bed dangerously groaned as he thrust me more fiercely.

Joey smiled when I moaned and pierced his back with my nails; he knew what that meant. He was kissing me when he came; he groaned and slipped his lips to my ear, trying to catch his breath.

I could feel his warm secretion leaving my body in clammy drops. Gasping, we looked at each other and smiled.

"I told you a twin bed was enough." He laughed.


	14. Forgiven

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes**

* * *

><p>Bella grasped my hair with both hands and stared deep in my eyes. "What a man!" she breathed.<p>

I broadened a wide smile at her comment. Bella knew how to make me feel virile, a real man. "I don't even need a bed to make you scream-" I murmured in a husky voice.

We were kissing when we suddenly stopped. There was someone outside who left in a rush. Considering the sound of its steps, the person might be listening behind the door.

We looked worried at each other.

"I believe we woke someone up." Bella bit her lower lip, as she always did when she was worried.

"Argh!" I left the bed and wore my boxers. "I better go back to my room."

She wore her nightie and followed me to the door. I turned to her before leaving and kissed her again. I'd never get tired to kiss her.

"See you at breakfast."

I silently closed the door and turned on my heels to go back to my room.

"GOD DAMNED!"

I almost slipped and fell. Marissa gave a little jump, startled. She was right behind me, staring at me with wide eyes. She looked at the door and then back at me.

"What are you doing here, Marissa?" I was terrified to be caught.

"I've just arrived."

I grasped. "And why are you wandering around the house like a feline?"

She swallowed nervously before answering. "I was looking for you. It's 9am. Auntie asked me to wake you up. She says breakfast is ready." Marissa looked awkwardly at the door. "Who's in there?"

"My fiancée."

"Oh."

A very awkward silence fell between us. Marissa's face was as red as a cherry; I was sure she'd heard Bella and I having sex.

"I went to wake her up-" I made a gesture towards the door, "For breakfast."

Marissa nodded. "Great. So… uh... we're waiting for you."

"We'll be there in a minute."

Marissa nodded again and left. I went back to my suite and took a hot shower to calm down my nerves. I was pretty sure Marissa had a crush on me, and the last thing I wanted was to break her heart. Not that my near marriage haven't done the job already.

When I went to the kitchen, Bella was already there, drinking coffee milk and eating cookies. Marissa sat on her right, and I took the last seat on Bella's left, after greeting everyone with an awkward "good morning". I had the sensation that everybody knew what I'd done a few moments ago.

Bella helped her hair behind her ear and Marissa stared at her neck.

"What's this? Are you hurt?" she pointed at a purple mark on Bella's neck.

I felt my stomach twist. She immediately covered it with her hair and scratched it. "Mosquito bite. It itches as hell!"

I breathed in relief and raised my eyes to meet my mother's, but she was too busy spreading cream cheese on bread; she hadn't even paid attention to the conversation.

When everybody's stomach was full, she looked at Bella and Marissa, and smiled.

"OK, girls. Today's a very special day for the bride." She nodded to Bella, "We're going to help her choose her wedding dress. The big boys will have a day off." Mom looked at my oldest male cousin, dad and I.

"I don't want to have a day off-" I murmured.

"Aww, he's so in love!" my cousin laughed and patted my head. I felt blood concentrate on my face, but I didn't lose the timing and patted his head too.

My mother ignored us. "Bella, dear, it seems you'll have extra company today." she held Bella's hand.

"Really? Who?"

"Jaime, Lauren and Meredith. You're familiar with them, aren't you?"

I stared at her. Bella's lips had gone paler.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." She stuttered. "But we've never talked to each other. The first and last time I met them in person was when I met Joey."

"Why are you nervous? Anything wrong?" Mom asked.

"No, not at all. It's just-" she looked at us "I'm not sure if they're going to like me. I kind of stole Joey from them."

"This is non sense." Dad answered back. "Everybody has the right to fall in love and get married."

As Bella didn't seem convinced, Mom tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry, dear. The girls presented themselves to join us today. They wouldn't have done it if they were against you."

She sighed.

"All right, then. I trust you."

As soon as Bella finished the word "you", the doorbell rang and I went to open the door. Meredith's face was the first to smile at me; following her was Jaime and Lauren.

"Hey, girls! Come in!"

Bella's expression was hard to decipher when she greeted the girls. I hoped she wasn't about to have a new crisis of jealousy because of them. Lauren, Meredith and Jaime were just friends of mine. I sighed, pushing that thought away. There was no way Bella could doubt of my love, was there?

Mom drove Marissa, Lauren, Meredith and Jaime to the wedding dress store and I followed them in my car, with Bella right by my side. She was too silent for my taste.

"Is everything all right, love?"

She nodded but made no answer.

"Something's annoying you. I can read you like a book. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing—"

"Don't lie to me."

"Well—" she considered the next words for a moment "It's just that I envy your friendship with _them_."

I shook my head.

"I knew it. You're jealous."

"No, I'm not!" she answered back "I _envy_ it. It's different. And—" she hesitated a bit, "I feel weird when I have to _share_ you with them."

I had parked at this point of the conversation. My mother and the girls were leaving the car in front of me when I stared into her eyes. She tried to look away, but I touched her chin with the tip of my fingers, and she stared back at me.

"Look at me." I made a pause "I'm yours. It'll never change."

She nodded.

"They're just my friends." I went on; caressing her face "_You_'re the one that I love."

She touched my hand and kissed it. "Okay."

"Remember this when you feel that way."

"I will." She gave me a shy smile.

I leaned toward and kissed her. "Have fun. And make sure to choose the most beautiful dress in there."

Bella broadened a wider smile and went out of the car. I remained inside, observing her join the others to enter the store.

* * *

><p>I had never been in a store like that before. It was wide and bright; fancy and comfortable chairs were available for the bride's friends to sit and help her choose the perfect dress. The seller, a tall woman around her forties, offered herself to show me all the dresses that would fit a daylight wedding. The designs were so wonderful that I didn't know which to try first.<p>

Lauren approached me. "Let's begin from the beginning. Here, this one. Do you want me to help you dress it?"

"Yes, please."

"Can I join you?" Jamie asked.

"Sure!" I said.

They followed me to the fitting room and helped me with the dress. Its fabric was smooth as a feather, and swayed at the lightest wind. Lauren was adjusting the baby pink cetin lace at my back, when she stared at me through the wide mirror in front of us.

"We'd like to apologize, Bella."

I stared at them, in silence.

"We were mean about you, when Joey went in a serious relationship with you." Jaime said, as she did a bun with my hair. "We were kind of jealous. He'd never had a serious girlfriend, and to get involved with a fan is a touchy situation. We didn't know who you were or which your intentions were."

"I understand." I limited myself to say.

"We even tried to convince him to break up with you." Lauren confessed.

I stared at her, startled. She noticed it and quickly amended, "He was so blind in love! In fact, he _is_. We take care of each other as a family, and he's like one of our brothers. We worried about him."

"What did you think I could do to harm him?" my voice raised an eight.

Jaime shook her head. "Get pregnant."

My eyes slithered in shock to her.

"You must agree with us that a couple of fans have done it before, to take money from their idols." Lauren said.

I considered that. "Yeah, you're right."

"Can you forgive us? We're really sorry." Jaime begged.

"What're your considerations about me now? Have it changed?"

Lauren eyes widened, "How couldn't it? Joey loves you. His family loves you. You've moved to live with him, and you're getting married."

I looked from one to another. "All right." I shrugged.

"Is it OK with you, then?" Jaime wanted to know.

"Sure! We can be friends, can't we?"

They both smiled. "Yeah!" they whooped at the same time.

"By the way, this dress is awesome." Lauren took a good look at me.

"Is she ready?" We heard Marissa's voice "Let us see it!"

Jaime and Lauren grabbed my hands and we went out the fitting room. Feeling my heart lighter, I could finally broaden a sincere smile.


	15. Married

**This chapter has not been revised by any beta readers. Please help me improve my English by contacting me if you find any grammar mistakes**

* * *

><p>"Oh, <em>this<em> is the dress I'm looking for!" I whooped, clapping hands in front of the wide mirror in the fitting room.

"It's gorgeous!" Jaime nodded; she had braided my hair beautifully. "It's perfect for a daylight wedding."

Lauren walked around me, adjusting the dress here and there.

"It needs to be adjusted around your waist and behind your arms. Its length is perfect though!"

"Let me show it to them!" I hurried to show it to Marissa, Meredith and my future mother-in-law.

I cartwheeled in front of them, "What do you think?"

"Oooh! Beautiful!" I heard their voices sigh in admiration.

"This is _the_ dress, my dear!" Joey's mother breathed. "It's absolutely beautiful!"

I cartwheeled again. My braid fell over my right shoulder when I stopped and smiled at my small jury. There was someone new there. A man. Who could he be? Had Joey break the protocol and stayed to see my dress? My eyes focused on my newest juror and I gasped.

Joe Walker. That particular juror would be hard to please. Joe didn't approve me since the beginning. I knew it. No one needed to convince me otherwise.

His blue eyes gazed at me as he leaned against a marble pilaster, arms crossed. Was I getting mad or his expression denoted admiration?

His expression changed as soon as he noticed I was staring at him, and once again, there was in front of my eyes the sobering Joe who didn't like me. He was gentle enough to make me a compliment, though: "You look beautiful, Bella."

"Thanks."

"Joe, what are you doing here?" Lauren asked.

"I came along with Brian. Joey called and said we could have lunch together, after the dress trial."

"Where's Brian?" Meredith asked.

"I'm here!" Brian announced himself before we could see him. "I was drinking some water outside. Hey—" he checked me out, "You look like a princess, Bella!"

"Thank you, Brian." I gave him a sincere smile.

"Will this be your wedding dress?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes!"

"Great choice. You look really beautiful. Don't you agree, Joe?" Brian elbowed him.

Joe stuttered before speaking, but when he did, his tone was metallic. "Yes, sure. The _dress_ is amazing."

Joe made sure to take the farthest seat from me when we went to a Chinese restaurant, to have lunch. And although he was shit faced and didn't make any efforts to talk to me, I noticed he glared at me sometimes. I wondered what he had in mind when he simply looked up and his eyes met mine. He huffed when I glared back, and looked away the second after.

When Joey invited him, in front of everyone, to be one of his three groomsmen, Joe was bowled over.

"Me?"

"Yeah, dude! We've always been buddies. I'd like to have you standing by my side at that very special day."

"Ah, well—" he scratched his head a bit awkwardly, "Sure, man! That'll be an… an honor."

Cries of joy followed Joe's response, and then Lauren took advantage of the moment, "Have you choose the bridesmaids, Bella?"

"No, not yet." I shrugged "I didn't even know Joey was choosing the groomsmen."

"And who are the other two, Joey?" Jaime asked.

"Darren and Nick. I've talked to them already, and they said yes."

"Of course they did." Meredith smiled gently.

It was 4pm when we were finally full of Chinese food, and decided to leave the restaurant. Joey invited me to take a walk on the beach nearby.

"Joey?"

"Yes?" he kissed my cheek.

"Are you sure Joe should be one of the groomsmen?" I bit my lower lip.

"I am. Why?"

"Because I don't think I'm very dear to him."

Joey stopped walking and stared at me with a disturbed expression.

"Why do think he doesn't like you?"

I shrugged again, trying to sound nonchalant, "He bashed you because of those first days we spent together, he didn't approve it that you were going out with a fan."

"Joe's over it."

"I don't think so. He barely talks to me. He avoids me as much as he can."

"Joe's an introspect guy. It doesn't mean he doesn't like you."

I rolled my eyes. "OK".

I pulled Joey by his hand, but he pulled me back to him. "Here, don't do that."

"It's OK, Joey—"

"No, it's not OK." He touched my chin to force me to look at him, "I can't go back now that I've already invited him. If I could, I would.

"He's your friend, you know him better than I do. And you don't have to change your mind to please me."

I approached Joey to kiss his lips and close that impasse.

The day everyone was waiting for arrived in the blink of an eye. I woke up early after a sleepless night, stretched my arm to reach the clock on the nightstand, and checked the hour: 6:30am.

I got up and looked outside. The light blue summer sky promised a beautiful and warm day. Tables and chairs were already on its place, waiting for the guests.

Unable to stand the silence and solitude of my room, I snickered out and tiptoed to Joey's room. I entered and closed the door quietly; then, I walked to his bed and gently woke him up.

"Let me lie beside you." I whispered.

Joey murmured something I couldn't understand and slipped to the left, so I'd have space on his bed. I lied beside him and put my hand on his chest, caressing its fuzz.

"What time is it?" He asked in a husky voice, eyes still closed.

"6:30am."

"Why are you up so early?"

"Because we're getting married today and I can't sleep anymore."

He smirked, "Yeah, today's the big day."

"Aren't you nervous?"

"I would be, if I wasn't so sleepy." He held me and pulled me near him, "Try to sleep a little more."

I nested my head in a small space between his shoulder and his head, and smelling the sandalwood scent of his hair, I lost myself in a peaceful nap.

There was no way I could be happier. My parents had arrived three days before the wedding and were in a hotel ten minutes from Joey's home. Mom was now in my room, helping me to get dressed, and Jaime had all my makeup on the table, ready to make me look like a diva.

I kept looking out of the window to check how the scene in the garden was, not minding that my mom was trying to adjust the dress on my body, and Jaime was eager to start painting my eyes.

"Isabella, will you please stay quiet!" Mom begged.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

I stood still as her hands tied the silk ribbon around my waist. Jaime made me sit down afterwards, so that she could work on my face.

"Make sure to stay very still, young lady." She told me. I smiled and nodded quietly.

I've picked Jaime, Lauren and Meredith as my bridesmaids, and they happily accepted my invitation. Also, they had wonderful hands to beautify anyone, which made me a lucky bride.

Meredith entered my room when Jaime was finished with my makeup. "Can I braid her hair already?"

"Sure."

Meredith started to braid my hair in fishtail style. She included small white flowers here and here, giving it a vernal touch.

"Aaaaand… you're ready!"

"Let me see it! Let me see it!" I hurried to the mirror.

I flit to have a good look of how beautiful I was. My bridesmaids had done a flawless job, and I looked as fresh and light as the first spring day.

Through the mirror, I saw Lauren enter the room.

"Everybody's outside. It's time, girls."

"_Oh meu Deus, estou tão nervosa!¹_" I babbled in Portuguese as I grabbed my mother's hands. My whole body was shaking.

"_Acalme-se, minha filha_.²" She hugged me tight, "_Você está linda. __Confie em si mesma_!³"

Lauren opened the door again to hand me my bouquet, "Joey's almost having a heart attack. You'd better hurry!"

I laughed and Lauren couldn't help it to laugh with me. She handed me my pink rose's bouquet. I left the room with my mom, and met my dad; he was waiting for me by the door that opened to the garden. He smiled to me and offered me his arm. I held it as if my life depended on it.

"Don't let me fall, dad." I whispered.

"I never will, my sweetheart."

He opened the door and the daylight blinded me for a second. When my eyes got used to the brightness, I could see everyone was standing on their feet; their heads turned in my direction, their eyes focused on me. I sought Joey, and found him waiting for me at the altar. He couldn't take his eyes away from me and I couldn't take mine from him. I loved how his long hair reached his shoulders as if he was a prince.

I looked around and recognized a lot of faces smiling at me. I smiled back, and nodded here and there. Near Joey, I found Nick and Darren smiling to me; and Joe.

Joe. He was staring inexpressively at me. Not smiling, not nodding. He was simply there, playing his groomsman part. I avoided his stare; it made me feel uncomfortable, and tried to find someone else who sincerely wanted to greet me.

Dad led me to Joey and handed me to him. Joey grabbed my hand so tight that it seemed I would vanish at any moment.

"Your hands are cold… and you're shaking." I whispered to him.

"I'm so ridiculously nervous." He whispered back.

"Just keep holding my hand."

"I'll never let it go."

The ceremony had begun. I barely listened to the priest's words, for my attention was fixed on Joey by my side. He had stopped shaking, but his hands were sweaty. I could never imagine Joey Richter so nervous in the day of his wedding. I didn't even know Joey Richter could possibly feel so intimidated.

I glared beyond the priest's shoulder and let my mind wander. Months ago I was only one more fangirl struggling to approach my idols and take a picture with them. The idea that I'd be marrying one of them, my favorite, was merely a dream, like those dreams fans have before they fall asleep alone in theirs beds.

What have I done to catch Joey's heart? How did I manage to get here, in this altar? Was all this really happening?

I was back to reality when the priest asked me if I accepted Joey as my husband.

"Yes" I said.

A few more words were said, we both made our vows and finally we had our rings in our fingers. Joey held my waist and leaned his head; he smiled before his lips touched mine in our first kiss as husband and wife.

The guests accommodated themselves by fancy wood tables, with eight chairs each, and lunch was served after the ceremony. The excited babbling combined to the sound of the forks and knifes tinkling against the ceramic plates, gave the ambient an exhilarating atmosphere. My heart was so full and warm that I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

When everyone was well fed, we started to dance. A lot of Starkid songs played, and everybody danced and sang with each other. Joey wanted me to sing "The Way I Do" with him, but I ran from the microphone as if it was a lethal weapon. I was a horrible singer.

"Come on, Bella!" he tried to persuade me. "Let's have this duet!"

"No! Are you mad?"

Lauren and Jaime pushed me and Brian put the microphone on my hand. I tripped on my dress, but manage not to fall.

"Let us hear you!" Brian said. "Who wants to hear the bride singing?"

A choir of voices exclaimed "I do!" My face was hotter than coal on fire. Joey held my hand and he started to sing his part. I did my best when I had to sing mine, and my voice wasn't as bad as I imagined. Our friends helped, singing along with me. In the end, I had a blast.

Suddenly it was time for the husband and wife to dance together. While the instrumental love song played, Joey and I danced slowly. As he wrapped his arms around me, I placed my hands on his shoulders. He kissed me as we whirled in slow motion.

"Hey baby" he murmured by my ear "Are you my fan yet?"

"I sure am" I giggled.

"And how do you feel by getting married with your idol?" he teased me.

"How do you feel by getting married with a fan?" I teased him back.

"Well, I think this is very sexy."

I giggled and Joey chuckled. He kissed my neck.

"I can't wait to be alone with you, you know." He whispered in a husky voice.

"Do you?" I kissed him slowly "May I know why?" I smiled against his lips.

He savored my lips as if they were made of sugar. "You know why." He gave a gentle slap on my rumps.

"Don't do that in front of everyone, Joey!" I tried to be serious, but I ended laughing. "No, seriously!"

We were laughing when I heard Joe Walker's voice behind me.

"Hey buddy, can I borrow the bride for a dance?"

"Sure, dude. Do you mind it, love?"

"Uh… no. Of course not." I forced myself to smile to Joe.

Joey kissed me again before handing me to his friend. Joe respectfully held my waist and we begun to dance. I didn't know where I should look at, though I was sure I couldn't face his piercing blue eyes. I decided to stare at nowhere special over his shoulder.

"Bella, listen." He begun to say near my ear "There's something I need to tell you." He made a pause, "I want to apologize."

"Everybody seems to be apologizing since Joey and I decided to get married." The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." He swallowed "Can you forgive me? I'm really sorry for being such a jerk about you."

"It's all right. No one's forced to like me. I understand if you don't. Just try to be cool about it."

We whirled slowly. Suddenly, my eyes met Joe's. He was glaring at me as if he could read my soul. I looked away and saw Joey dancing with Jaime a few meters from us.

"There's one more thing."

"Go on."

Joe was in silence for a moment, measuring his words.

"You're extremely beautiful tonight." He said.

"Oh—" I wasn't expecting that one, "Thank you. It's very kind of you."

"I don't find you beautiful only tonight. I find you beautiful everyday." He spoke those words slowly, so I could memorize them all. "If Joey hadn't raised you on his arms that day after the show, you'd had married me today."

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out of it, so I closed it shut and stared blankly at Joe. What had he just said?

"Excuse me, but what do you mean—"

For the first time Joe smiled to me, and his smile was kind and warm. "You understood me right, Bella."

The music ended. Joe kissed my hands and my forehead. "I wish you all the happiness of this world, beautiful Isabella Richter."

With those final words, he walked away.

I felt weird as I stared at Joe's back. My legs were weak and my heart seemed to be fighting to leave my chest. I didn't even notice Dylan had invited to dance.

"Bella? Are you still with us?"

"Oh!" I looked surprised at him. "Yes, I am. Sorry, Dylan."

"Are you all right? Are you feeling OK?"

"Yes. I just need a glass of water. My throat is dry."

As Dylan handed me a glass of cold water, I wondered how life can blow us away and dismantle our convictions. Minutes ago I was sure Joe Walker hated me, and now… I shook my head to push that thought away.

Joey arrived and hugged me from behind; and when he did, I closed my eyes and smiled – The conviction that I loved the man with the crooked jaw would never be dismantled.

**The end.**


End file.
